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Facing a major cash-flow shortfall, how should Faith deploy her substantial investable assets?

The Globe and Mail – By Dianne Maley

Faith is a recently separated, 53-year-old professional woman who makes about $32,000 a year working in the complementary health-care field.

She has two teenagers, one going into second-year university this fall and the other Grade 12. Since the family house was sold, Faith has been renting for about $3,500 a month. She wonders whether she should continue to do so “or get back into the real estate market – a scary proposition in Vancouver, especially because capital preservation is my No. 1 goal,” she writes in an e-mail.

Either way, she will be relying on her investments to supplement her income, which falls far short of her spending. Fortunately, she has substantial assets, including assets in a corporation – part of her separation agreement – $400,000 of which is available tax-free.

Faith’s questions: “Can I afford to buy a new townhouse? If so, how much can I afford? What should I do with my investable assets? Will the proceeds of my investments cover the gap between my lifestyle expenses and my income?”

We asked Ian Black, a portfolio manager and financial planner at Macdonald Shymko & Co. Ltd. in Vancouver, to look at Faith’s situation. Macdonald Shymko is a fee-only financial planner with an investment counsel arm.